Which reminds me of the scene in Good Will Hunting when Robin Williams' character asks Matt Damon's character, Will, what he wants. And Will can't answer. Because he doesn't really know.

Do you know what you want most? Does your character? Write a piece of 600 words or less and come back to link up here Friday. This prompt was inspired by a prompt from Writing Forward.

There is a golden moment at day's end. That fleeting time between the end of day and the beginning of night, when the sun is down, the sky is still light and the trees are black silhouettes against the comfortable blue of the sky...that is the marrow.

There is a peaceful calm just before I drift off to sleep. The day's worries leave me for a time, my hope rises that tomorrow will be an easy and productive day, my body relaxes into my cozy bed and the sound of my sweet husband's even breathing lulls me deeper into rest. That is the marrow.

When the holiday meal is over and everyone sits companionably around the table, stuffed and happy, when the cooking is successfully over and the evening sets in, we tell the family stories. We laugh and remember; we contemplate the distance between those treasured moments and the pleasant now. Everyone feels warm, supported and loved. That is the marrow.

After nine months of joyful anticipation, edged with anxiety for the momentous task ahead, after hours in the delivery room, I held a new baby boy in my arms. I did that twice, four years apart. They were beautiful, wet and squalling, and my wonderful new role wrapped around me like a warm blanket. That, too, was the marrow.

It's the tasty, chewy center to life's crunchy, difficult outer parts. It is the rich, life-giving, replenishing nucleus of a life dappled by the shadows of everyday challenges. I strive for it always.

Where ever I am and whatever I am doing, I look for those juicy moments of peace. Sometimes they flit near me, but stay out of reach, chased away by the trials of the day. Other times, they hang around patiently and I have a long stretch of simple joy.

I chase those moments of marrow like my OCD dog chases her ball. I work for it each day. I cultivate it and try to create opportunities for it to show up. I wait to see it coming, my ears perky and my eyes blazing. My heart speeds up and my anticipation rises and BAM! The moment is there. The only thing to do is to stop where I am and gaze with relief and pleasure on the brief interlude when all the world falls into place for a few glimmering seconds.

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Write On Edge

An Exercise in Writing

I just joined the "The Red Dress Club" (Now "Write on Edge") as a fun exercise to stretch my writing muscles.

I love the idea behind this writer's community--both as a place to share writing, get critiques and learn more about others and our shared craft. I also love the reason for the name, even though I don't own a red dress. Every time I wear red, people ask me if I feel alright. I guess it's not my color. So I decorate with it instead!

Most of what you read here will be complete fiction. An exercise for my WRITING MUSCLES! That may be a euphemism for my warped imagination?

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About Me

I'm a girly girl who like dresses and stilettos, and yet I can pluck a chicken and I can shoot straight.I'm a country girl who likes the symphony and Hank Williams, too. I'm opinionated and judgmental, but patient. I can be tolerant past the point of reason, and I can be jump to a conclusion like a gold medalist. I love my children with all of my being, but I might not be that crazy about your kids. I want to have my novels sell like snowcones in hell, but I don't want to ever speak in public. I strive for wisdom and compassion, and consistently find myself falling short on both counts. So I keep trying.